FY25 DURIP Proposer's Webinar Jan 2024.pdf

DEFENSE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION PROGRAM

Program Attributes Timeline

• 12-month awards for acquisition of basic research equipment/instrumentation

• Capacity building in areas of vital importance to DoD – research and human capital

• Long-term investment via short grant

• No past, current, or future DoD funding required and no citizenship requirements

• DURIP is not a research award

DURIP is an Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Research and Engineering (OUSDR&E) sponsored tri-service program designed to improve the basic research capabilities of accredited United States (US) institutions of higher education to conduct research and to educate scientists and engineers in areas important to national defense by providing funds for the acquisition of research equipment or instrumentation.

Step Dates

DURIP FOA Published Nov

Proposals Due Feb

DURIP Awards Announced/Press Release Oct

Awards in Place Dec

CONTACT US

Air Force Army Navy Ms. Katie Wisecarver afosr.rtb.durip@us.af.mil 703-696-9544

DURIP FOA AFOSR

https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/350951

DURIP FOA ARO

https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/350954

Dr. Sue Kase usarmy.rtp.devcom-arl.mbx.durip@army.mil 240-309-1501

Dr. Amanda Netburn onr.ncr.durip@us.navy.mil

703-696-4200

DURIP FOA ONR

https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/350953

BAA AFOSR

https://www.grants.gov/sea rch-results-detail/345653

BAA ARO

https://arl.devcom.army.mil/ collaborate-with-us/

BAA ONR

https://www.nre.navy.mil/work

-with-us/funding-opportunities/announcements mailto:afosr.rtb.durip@us.af.mil https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/350951 https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/350951 https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/350954 https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/350954 mailto:usarmy.rtp.devcom-arl.mbx.durip@army.mil mailto:usarmy.rtp.devcom-arl.mbx.durip@army.mil mailto:onr.ncr.durip@us.navy.mil https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/350953 https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/350953 https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/345653 https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/345653 https://arl.devcom.army.mil/collaborate-with-us/ https://arl.devcom.army.mil/collaborate-with-us/ https://www.nre.navy.mil/work-with-us/funding-opportunities/announcements https://www.nre.navy.mil/work-with-us/funding-opportunities/announcements https://www.nre.navy.mil/work-with-us/funding-opportunities/announcements

# Question Answer

If we have 4 universities interested in a new instrument which we are in process of developing, do they need to each submit their own proposal to acquire the equipment? Or do we submit one proposal for all 4 universities?

live answered; Synopsis - either way is acceptable. It is important to note that DURIP does not cover overhead/indirect costs so if you submit one proposal for all 4 universities, DURIP will not pay any administrative costs associated with managing the DURIP across the network of institutions. Also note that if all universities submit their own proposal, there is a chance that not all will be funded.

Should I demonstrate in my proposal (by establishing a team of co-PI's) that the equipment/instrument will be used by several researchers on campus and enable a range of research areas (for example from material science to electronics and to civil, mechanical, mining, and chemical engineering research related to DOD's interests)?

live answered; Synopsis - relevance to the DoD mission is a critical component of a competitive proposal. You will need to route your proposal to a single core technical program officer so showing general relevance may not be a best bet. The DURIP FOA encourages proposers to identify and connect with best-fit core technical program officers (PO) to talk about the PO's research interests, proposer research interests, and proposer DURIP goals. This conversation is important because it ensures the proposers are submitting to a relevant program officer and the chat will give proposers buzz words and key phrases that they can use in their proposal to better elucidate their relevance.

Another component is capacity building in re: the future workforce, certainly a DURIP that touches more research areas also should be giving more students opportunities to get involved in research using that equipment.

Is the allowable travel cost for traveling in the one-year project period to (a) identify and validate the equipment to purchase, or (b) should we have already identified THE best equipment by the time of submitting the proposal? If the former is the case, should we then provide quotations from several possible vendors that we anticipate to have the capabilities we are looking for?

live answered; Synopsis - typically validation is included in the vendor quote and would be done when the equipment/instrumentation is installed at the university. DoD would not typically pay for travel to identify and validate equipment to purchase. It is expected that the equipment would be identified before a proposal is crafted as the proposal is for the acquisition of that equipment. An exact vendor is not required to be identified before proposal, but the proposal does require vendor quotes as a way to show cost reasonableness.

Should the vendors demonstrate in their quotation some discount to the academic client? They usually do, but certainly if they have to.

live answered; Synopsis - If the vendor is providing a discount, that should be included in their quote(s). A vendor discount will not impact the competitiveness of the proposal.

Can we include in the budget a one-time cost of installation, training, and calibration so that we can maintain such a valuable investment effectively? Should the university come up with a budget for extended maintenance?

live answered; Installation, initial training, and calibration should be part of the vendor quotes as the expectation is that the vendor would install and calibrate/validate before the equipment is accepted by the university. Initial training can be included, but has limitations. For example, DoD may not pay for an entire lab to go to the vendor for training (should the vendor not provide onsite training), but may pay for the PI to be trained. The university is responsible for extended maintenance - DURIP does not cover extended maintenance, extended warranties, etc.

I applied for the FY24 DURIP and the results were out, but I haven’t gotten any notifications on my application. What shouuld I do now? The FY25 DURIP deadline is coming up next month..

live answered; Synopsis - ARO, AFOSR, and ONR should have emailed notifications. We do have intermittent email issues where recipients do not receive our emails and we do not receive a kickback notification (new emails and replies). The DURIP FOA highly encourages proposers to reach out to core technical program officers (PO) before submitting a DURIP proposal. This includes reaching out for feedback. The preproposal inquiry period ends 19 Jan 2023.

In the solicitation, a short vitae is mentioned for each personnel as required application documents. Can this be 3-page NSF-style or would you like it to be in some other length and format? live answered; Synopsis - the ARO, ONR, and AFOSR do not have formatting requirements for CVs.

I have built an Innovation Ecosystem Platform focused on the creation of solutions and driving their development through to implementation. This Ecosystem is applicable to solving most challenges across any industry, science, sector, etc.

Would this be compatible to DURIP?

live answered; Synopsis - it is unclear if the IEP is eligible for a DURIP award. DURIP is for the acquisition of basic research instrumentation for capacity building in research as well as in bolstering the future STEM workforce.

Is it required to have a current award from a DoD office that the instrumentation sponsored by DURIP will support? No, this is not required. There is no past, current, or pending DoD support required for DURIP.

10 Any suggetsions on award floor and ceiling? The floor is $50k and the ceiling is $3M

11 Is there any category of equipment not allowed to be funded?

live answered; Synopsis - potentially some instrumentation is not allowed. For example, vehicles are probably not allowed unless they are an integral part of the research system (i.e., towing vehicles are likely not allowable, but vehicles that will be kitted out to be mobile research stations may be).

Also, for high-performance computing (HPC), DoD has facilities that people can use, so if you are asking for HPC instrumentation, you will need to have a strong explanation for why you cannot use existing facilities. The way to determine this is to use the DURIP FOA (page 8) to identify and connect with your best-fit program officer. They will likely be able to tell you whether or not your specific case is eligible.

Could you please describe the process of AFOSR coordinating the DURIP proposals from the tri-service agencies in terms of proposal review, prioritization, and making awards.

live answered; Synopsis - each agency reviews and prioritizes their own DURIP proposals, creates prioritized recommendations based on the evaluation criteria in the FOA, AFOSR compiles all three agency recommendations, then OSD reviews and provides input (suggested alterations or approval) and then OSD releases the press release announcing winners which kicks off the agency award process.

13 Will a white paper/quad chart be helpful?

live answered; Synopsis - white papers are not required for DURIP. When you reach out to a best-fit core technical program officer (PO) to talk about your plans, they may ask for an idea statement or a short white paper, but that is per their preference.

14 Is software license allowed?

A software license is allowed for the 12-month duration of the DURIP but not beyond that timeframe.

Should we "cold call" the core technical program officers? Or go through you for an introduction?

You may reach out to program officers directly. Email is recommended. If your preference is an e-introduction, you may reach out to the DURIP managers and we can connect you.

16 can we include remodeling and installation needed for the equipment?

live answered; Synopsis - construction is not allowable in DURIP so remodeling is not likely eligible for DURIP funds. Installation is typically included in the vendor costs and would be allowable assuming it does not include any not allowable costs.

You've stated that having an ongoing DOD project isn't necessary for obtaining DURIP. However, my colleagues suggest that it's nearly essential. Could you provide some insight on the number of DURIP awards given to those without current DOD projects? Also, what is the likelihood of receiving DURIP funding without an active project? Thank you!

live answered; Synopsis - relevance to the DoD mission is a critical component of a competitive proposal. If you are already funded, it is much easier for you to explain your relevance, so those without funding will have to put in more effort to make a strong competitive case for relevance. This is a good example of why it is essential to reach out to the core technical program officer (PO) before submitting a proposal. Discussing the PO research interests and how they intersect with your research interests and DURIP goals will give you the information you need to craft a strong argument for relevance.

Is preference given to junior faculty starting their career over established senior faculty? Or vice versa? Faculty status (junior/senior) is not considered in evaluation.

Since DURIP is an instrumentation grant, would I need to have a near-complete/very robust 'Budgets' section that details all the price quotes from vendors? Or, is it okay to be vague on the price quotes OR not include price quotes at all? Thanks!

live answered; Synopsis - Quotes are required, and all requested costs should be included in the budget section. DoD does not hold proposers to a vendor, but we do need detailed quotes and budgets in order to gauge cost reasonableness, etc.

20 Do I need to include quotes for the requested equipment? Yes, quotes are required to be included as part of your application package.

FY25 DURIP Proposer's Webinar Q&A

21 Would you please share these slides with the attendees after the meeting? Slides will be provided, as well as a copy of the recorded webinar and FAQs.

If we have programs in AFOSR and ARO that would both benefit from the DURIP equipment, should we focus on one service's PO and impact in our narrative, or try to explain both?

live answered; Synopsis - it's up to you. In the DURIP there is no limit to the number of proposals you can submit or the number of times you can submit the same proposal (i.e., propose for the same equipment to ARO, ONR, AFOSR).

Please discuss the expectations for describing the research-related education activities in the proposal.

live answered; Synopsis - DURIP is not an education program so it is important when discussing the student/community aspect that you are clear that your instrumentation is not for general classroom education. It is expected that winning institutions use the instrumentation to expose students to research of relevance to the DoD on state-of-the-art instrumentation.

How do we request reviews for a DURIP propsal that wasnt selected for funding?

Directly from the PMs or the PoCs on slide 2? The PMs/POs in your technical area are the best contact for feedback.

Hello, If received a DURIP this year, is there a limitation to apply again this cycle?

Also, is there a letter of notification aside from the press release? Or directly the letter of award in December?

live answered; Synopsis - you can apply again. You should have received a separate notification outside of the press release.

May multiple equipment be combined and proposed in one DURIP proposal? All the equipment proposed will be used for the same research and support from different aspects in the same project. live answered; Synopsis - Yes, you can submit for a network/system of equipment under DURIP.

Can DURIP fund the designing funds (salary for technicians?). As I reach out to the potential vendors for insrtrumentation design, I am realizing significant funds might be needed by the vendors for the design. Would this be covered by DURIP? This will be on top on the actual instrument costs.

live answered; DURIP funds can be used to pay the vendor for design. DURIP cannot pay for salary so faculty or students can not be paid for instrumentation design unless they are in university technician status. Students and Faculty that receive research funds or are in faculty or student status cannot also be in university technician status.

Is there any mechanism to get feedback on a prior non-selected proposal to improve it for this round? Thanks. live answered; Synopsis: The PMs/POs in your technical area are the best contact for feedback.

Could you clarify what you mean by “technical staff” who are allowed to help with DURIP instrument setup? Most of our technical staff are formally in “research associate” positions, does that disqualify them from getting some funding to help set up DURIP funded equipment?

live answered; Synopsis: Research associates are not eligible for DURIP funds. DURIP finds can be paid to university technicians or engineers that are in technician status only. Faculty and students are not in university technician status and cannot be paid with DURIP funds.

30 What are the 3 evaluation criteria for the proposals? Please refer to the Evaluation section of the full text FOA for the list of evaluation criteria.

31 Is the DURIP restricted to hardware or can software qualify?

live answered; Synopsis: Synopsis: A software license is allowed for the 12-month duration of the DURIP but not beyond that timeframe.

The program is 12 months. How late in that time period can be submit our POs for the equipment? Thank you live answered; Synopsis: DoD expects invoicing at the soonest, but would not expect universities to pay for instrumentation that has not arrived or been validated by the vendor. The goal is to be 100% expended within 12-18 months from award. Universities may require an NCE although fiscal regulations allow the funds to spent after the grant expires - contact the PO/PM with any questions on this.

Is there higher chances to get a proposal granted if this proposal is aimed for building a testing system centered around existing DoD projects?

live answered; Synopsis: past, current, or pending DoD funding is not required nor is it part of the evaluation criteria by which DURIP proposals are rated. The best way to get a high rating is to fully address all three evaluation criteria in your proposal.

'- What is the preferred scope of educational impact?

- Does it make sense that the equipment/instruments be used for discrete research projects at the university by faculty that their research do not overlap or better that the new instrument be shared by research groups that are already connected and there is an overlapping research areas?

DURIP is not an educational program so it is imperative that your proposed instrumentation be geared to basic research. The capacity building in terms of the STEM workforce comes in via proposers exposing students (usually undergrads and grads, but sometimes also k-12) to basic research of relevance to the DoD through the opportunity to use the state-of-the-art DURIP instrumentation. The DURIP instrumentation can be for discrete projects or shared by overlapping research areas.

35 Can the vendor quote include the cost of design, fabrication, and integration? Yes, these costs are allowable as discussed in the full text FOA.

Is there any capability of handling proposals that span core technical programs in more than one service ( in Army and Navy for example)?

Yes, many proposals span more than one core technical program. It is vital that proposers in this situation reach out to the core technical program officers (PO) before submitting proposals to ensure that they are submitting their proposal to the most relevant area. Proposals can be submitted to more than one funding agency.

Thank you for your efforts in organizing this webinar. This is very useful. Does the instrumentation in the call also involves acuiring GPUs for ARL relevant research? GPUs can be requested in DURIP.

Part of the effort of assembling the system we envision for DURIP will require custom software. Unless I am misaken, I understand that university faculty/student salary/effort cannot be included in a DURIP budget. Can a contract be awarded to a company to provide custom software, which would be essential to make the system work?

DURIP does not support subcontracts, but a vendor can be paid for design. You are correct that DURIP cannot pay for faculty/student salary/effort.

Thank you for this presentation. In FY 2023 Defense appropriations, Congress provided the US Space Force $30 million for DURIP. Could you please expand on the plans for the funds, and if they are being rolled into the AFOSR BAA, or somewhere else? Also, if the funds are a part of the AFOSR BAA, will the funds still be put towards space force specific topics?

AFOSR is the basic research funding arm for the Department of the Air Force (DAF) so we execute the basic research funding for both Air and Space Force as both are under the DAF.

Is there a sweet spot between the budget floor and ceiling that makes a proposal more competitive? No

Can we gte feedback from previous submitted DURIP grants? Who would we get it from?

Yes. It is best to reach out to the program officer you routed your proposal to. If you are having trouble making contact, you can reach out to the DURIP PMs for assistance.

Does the DURIP program provide formal/written (or informal/spoken) feedback on declined proposals?

Yes. It is best to reach out to the program officer you routed your proposal to for feedback. If you are having trouble making contact, you can reach out to the DURIP PMs for assistance.

Could you please provide more information about the procedure for transferring a DURIP award to a new university in the event of a PI's job change? Additionally, if the PI relocates after the proposal has been selected but before the funding is awarded, is it possible for the funds to be directly allocated to the new institution?

Thank you. Please reach out to the awarding office to discuss options for transferring your DURIP award.

Does the Jan 19 deadline on contact apply to questions to individual core program officer? Yes. The pre-proposal inquiry deadline applies to any pre-proposal contact.

Is it better to request support for a single research aim or can proposals dicsuss multiple related research thrusts the instrumentation will support? Proposals can discuss multiple related research thrusts.

46 What’s the upper limit of $$— 3M? Correct, the DURIP request ceiling is $3M.

Are proposals deemed stronger if there are multiple investigators requesting or using equipment?

DURIP is awarded to and vests with the proposing institution, not the PI. DURIP awards do not include co-PIs.

48 does instrument have to be received within the one year time frame? Typically, yes. On rare occasions (with sufficient justification), a no-cost extension may be granted.

49 Can quotes from vendors include design and build costs? Yes.

50 Do you recommend multiple-PIs in the proposal?

No, DURIP is awarded to and vests with the proposing institution, not the PI. DURIP awards do not include co-PIs.

Does DURIP program prefer instrumentation proposals (i.e. design and build a machine that is not commercially available) or proposals on procurement of commercial systems? Either is allowable under DURIP.

52 Is there an upper limit of the number of PI+CoPIs in a proposal?

DURIP is awarded to and vests with the proposing institution, not the PI. DURIP awards do not include co-PIs.

Q. Is there a recommendation to discuss in the proposal how many current funded projects of PI may use ths equipment? Should some reseach results be presented to show the strength of the lab?

Past, current, and future DoD funding is not a requirement of DURIP proposals. You could talk about existing research as a way to argue that your research is relevant to the agency you are proposing

to. Results are not necessary as DURIP is for acquisition of equipment/instrumentation only.

54 Can I include Letters of Support? Also, can I have a co-PI, if I am the lead PI?

You can include letters of support, though they are not part of the required pieces of the proposal nor are they part of the evaluation criteria. DURIP does not have co-PIs as the equipment is awarded to and vests with the university and also only pays for equipment acquisition.

55 can the proposal have components of development and purchasing? Yes.

Are larger $ proposals that support core facilities preferred over smaller $ proposals that support a singular lab? No. There is no preferred dollar amount for a proposal.

If we are collaborating with another university, is it a joint submission or are they listed as key personnel (or co-PIs). Additionally, to what extent do we list key personnel?

If you are proposing for a DURIP system/network across universities, you can propose from one institution for everything or you can split the proposals and have each institution submit for their part separately. Key personnel should include the main people using the equipment.

I applied for the 2024 DURIP. Should I apply for the 2025 DURIP for the same instrument since I haven't heard back about last years application?

Yes, there is no restriction on submitting for the FY2025 cycle if you haven't heard back on your FY2024 submission.

I am fortunate to be PI of both a DoD MURI award and a DoD CDMRP award. The system that I am thinking to propose would be beneficial to both lines of research in the future. I have spoken to my MURI PO and he is very enthusiastic. I have yet to communicate with my CDMRP PO. Could that be worthwhile? Or might involvement of two different funding organizations over-complicate the process?

It's up to you. The main thing to keep in mind is that you are evaluated on how well your DURIP addresses the evaluation criteria:

(1) The impact of your proposed equipment or instrumentation on research DoD funds, or plans to fund, and/or the likelihood your proposed equipment or instrumentation will enhance current research capabilities or establish new research capabilities relevant to DoD areas of interest; and,

(2) The importance and priority to DoD missions of research your proposed equipment or instrumentation will support; and,

(3) The potential your proposed equipment or instrumentation offers to enhance your institution’s ability to educate future scientists and engineers through research conducted with the proposed equipment in disciplines important to DoD missions.

Will Durip cover travel costs for experts from a government laboratory to aid in building an instrument system. Possibly. This is decided on a case-by-case basis.

The proposal should address “one or more technical programs”. Is it at all important/necessary/relevant to address the goals and science of an existing and funded proposal?

Yes, many proposals span more than one core technical program. It is vital that proposers in this situation reach out to the core technical program officers (PO) before submitting proposals to ensure that they are submitting their proposal to the most relevant area. Your proposal must make a solid argument for relevance in order to be competitive.

Would a proposal that will meet the research requirement of only one researcher be funded

DURIPs are single-PI awards that are awarded to and vest with the institution. Multiple PIs are not a requirement.

For ONR, should we not apply if we do not align with your specific list of areas posted, or do you have core technical programs, like AFOSR, that might be applicable?

ONR has core technical research areas. Please see page 8 of the DURIP FOA for links to the research interests of each funding agency.

If our proposal is relevant to more than one DoD branch, should we submit a proposal to each branch? And is it worth mentioning in each proposal the relevance to other branches, e.g., ONR if applying to AFOSR?

You can submit to each funding agency. You should note that you are applying to more than one agency on the SF424 cover page. You do not need to mention relevance to the other agencies, your proposal should be focused on how your work and DURIP goals are relevant to the agency to which the proposal is routed.

You mentioned "Core Technical Prorams". Can you please advise how we can become educated what these are, perhaps a website? Please see page 8 of the DURIP FOA.

How should we demonstrate the extent of conversations with and encouragement on the part of technical program officers? Is there a place to input PO name/unit in the application, in addition to describing conversations in the narrative? The name of the relevant PO must be placed in block 4b of the SF 424 cover page.

Does the Jan. 19 cutoff for questions include conversations with program officers or DURIP admin offices? Yes.

68 How detailed the applications needs to be? Where can we find the guidelines Please read the full text FOA, available on Grants.gov.

How is hardware developed by small businesses perceived? Does that raise a red flag? That does not raise a red flag. You may use whichever vendor best meets your needs.

I appear to be in a circle of links just getting the same 37 page Program Announcement. Are there direct links to the different Research Interests? Thanks!

Direct links are on page 8 of the DURIP FOA. I have tested these links since the webinar and none result in a circle of links in my experience.

You mention it's important to directly address the educational benefits. Is there preference for undergrad vs grad student education? There is no preference.

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Can you offer some clarification of section IV.H. of the soliciation which discusses submission to multiple agencies?

I understand that ultimately there will be a single funding agency. But there are many research topics that could find a home across multiple DoD branches/topics.

With the importance of identifying pertinent topic areas of interest, is it advisable to reach out to program officers from multiple branches in such a scenario? My colleagues and I are trying to reconcile one targeted DURIP submission (single branch) vs potentially multiple submissions.

If you are proposing to more than one funding agency, you should identify and connect with a best-fit program officer at each. Your proposal must be routed to each on the SF424 cover page that you will create for each of the proposal submissions.

Are any prior publications needed to demonstrate expertise or could the instrument be used for a new research direction with a solid plan demonstrated?

Publications are not part of the evaluation criteria. The instrumentation can be used for a new research direction assuming relevance to the funding agency mission.

How much information/detail about the basic research enabled by the equipment should be included in the proposal? Should the research be explained in detail or at a high level?

Research should be explained at a level that will thoroughly and completely address the evaluation criteria.

What if there is no instrument available to satisfy the requirements of the proposed research completely, and the PI has to develop a certain algorithm, say to integrate measurements of multiple instruments. In such case, can we have a budget for the research and development components?

DURIP allows for reasonable design costs; however, faculty/students cannot be paid with DURIP funds.

Could you please describe the process of AFOSR coordinating the DURIP proposals from the tri-service agencies in terms of proposal review, prioritization, and making awards.

Each agency reviews and prioritizes their own DURIP proposals, creates prioritized recommendations based on the evaluation criteria in the FOA, AFOSR compiles all three agency recommendations, then OSD reviews and provides input (suggested alterations or approval) and then OSD releases the press release announcing winners which kicks off the agency award process.

77 Can we include maintenance fees? Also are there anything specific for HSIs MSIs? Maintenance costs are not an allowable DURIP cost. There are no separate guidelines for HSI/MSIs.

If our equipment will advance programs in more than one service, should we focus on one of them in our PO interactions and the narrative for the proposal, or focus on one service? It is up to you. You are able to submit the same proposal to more than one funding agency.

If the awarded faculty moved to another same-level institution ( R1, R2, etc) can they move the DURIP award to the new institution?

It depends. This would need to be a conversation between the awarding office, current awardee, and new institution.

Are impact and benefits to programs within DARPA also considered in the DURIP program, or is this specific to ARO, ONR and AFOSR?

It depends. The main thing to keep in mind is that you are evaluated on how well your DURIP addresses the evaluation criteria:

(1) The impact of your proposed equipment or instrumentation on research DoD funds, or plans to fund, and/or the likelihood your proposed equipment or instrumentation will enhance current research capabilities or establish new research capabilities relevant to DoD areas of interest; and,

(2) The importance and priority to DoD missions of research your proposed equipment or instrumentation will support; and,

(3) The potential your proposed equipment or instrumentation offers to enhance your institution’s ability to educate future scientists and engineers through research conducted with the proposed equipment in disciplines important to DoD missions.

Is it possible to include more than one piece of equipment in one proposal, assuming these equipment together enables a particular research capacity? Yes

You made a comment about 'making the cut line'. What defines the cut line? Is there a set of publishable criteria that institutions can use to build a better DURIP?

The 'cut line' refers to the budget that each agency has per competition year. If you are below the cut line, that means we wanted to fund your proposal, but didn't have funds available to do so. The published criteria that institutions should use to build a competitive DURIP are the evaluation criteria noted in the DURIP FOA. Those are the only criteria used to determine proposal prioritization.

83 What is the success rate?

It depends. Each funding cycle, the number of proposals that DoD can fund depends on our core DURIP budgets, whether we also get congressional add monies, and how expensive the highest priority DURIP proposals are. In funding years where many high-dollar proposals are selected we will award fewer DURIPs and therefore, the success rate will be lower. Speaking in very general terms, in most years about one-quarter to one-third of proposals end up getting funded - either with DURIP core funds or later with congressional add funds.

Please discuss the expectations for describing the research-related education activities in the proposal.

DURIP is not an education program so it is important when discussing the student/community aspect that you are clear that your instrumentation is not for general classroom education. It is expected that winning institutions use the instrumentation to expose students to research of relevance to the DoD on state-of-the-art instrumentation.

Does the Jan 19 deadline on contact apply to questions to conversations with individual core program officers? Yes

Could a proposal include a range of 2-3 budget options (minimum, mid-range, and optimal?

Yes. That would be something that I would suggest speaking to the core technical program officer about before submitting your proposal. They may prefer you to submit the optimal but keep the others on hand in case.

87 Can cleanroom retrofit to a space be considered as a system?

If the retrofit requires construction or renovation of the space, then no. Construction costs are not allowable under DURIP.

What about hardware warranty? Can we have a hardware warranty for 5 year instead of 1 year? DURIP will not pay for extended warranties.

89 Can you elaborate on the composition of the evaluation panel/committee?

At a minimum, the DURIP proposal is evaluated by the core technical program officer. If there is a conflict of interest, the core technical program officer can have the proposals reviewed by a proxy or by a panel. Once the funding agencies have made selections, OSD reviews and approves.

90 Does the Army Research Institure apply to DURIP as well?

DURIP is open to all not-for-profit U.S. institutions of higher education with degree-granting programs in STEM fields. ARI would be eligible to apply. I am not aware of whether or not they ever have.

We have an ongoing ARL project - would the TPOC of our program be the right person to talk about a potential equipment or should we find an equivalent ARO TPOC in a similar area ?

ARO is the funding agency and an ARO program officer will be the technical POC that evaluates the proposal. You need to identify core technical relevance at the funding agency.

Can we include a little labor cost in the proposal? For example, one semester research assistant is supported to set up the equipment?

Salary costs for PIs, students, or research assistants, are not allowed under DURIP. Please refer to the budget section of the full text FOA for more details.

Instrumentation placed in the ocean is at risk of getting lost. Is there any guidance on quantity of identical/backup/spare items for a request? Typically DURIP does not cover spare parts, maintenance, etc.

Is it allowed to transfer the award to a new university if the PI change the job to a new unversity?

It depends. This would need to be a conversation between the awarding office, current awardee, and new university.

I have submitted a proposal to acquire an equipment in September within DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DoD) Research and Education Program for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions Equipment/Instrumentation, Fiscal Year 2024, Funding Opportunity Announcement W911NF-23-S-0014. It says the results will be available in June. Can I resubmit exactly the same proposal for DURIP? Thank you!

Yes. Please note in your DURIP submission that you also submitted to the HBCU call so that we can ensure that we do not duplicate funding should you be selected in both programs.

Is it relevant for proposal competitiveness if the proposed equipment is for a shared user facility or for single PI laboratory use?

The only criteria that your proposal is evaluated against are the evaluation criteria noted in the

DURIP FOA.

97 Can we propose at various funding levels or “modular”? Would it be beneficial?

You can propose at various funding levels. This should be discussed with the core technical program officer.

If the equipment will have benefit to DOD but will also benefit user facilities funded by other agencies in the international community, is it worthwhile to comment on the educational opportunities of training people at other institutions through the benefit to the user facility?

In my opinion, this would go towards the evaluation criteria in the FOA in terms of the training of future STEM professionals. I would caution that you need to make sure discussing this aspect does not dilute your proposal's ability to address all of the evaluation criteria.

Is DOD expecting to compete a separate solicitation this year exclusively for HBCUs and MSI's? That is outside the purview of the DURIP. Please reach out to the HBCU team for that information.

Is funding for administrative staff overseeing equipment purchasing allowable to oversee the DURIP acquisitions? DURIP does not support indirect costs or salaries.

How do we account for inflation? Some vendors are reluctant to issue quotes beyond 6 months.

We ask that you do your best. For the most part, universities are on the hook for covering any increases by vendors as usually the funding agencies execute our funding allotment as close to zero as possible.

Please see the AFOSR APAN page for the video:

https://community.apan.org/wg/afosr/w/researchareas/39402/fy25-dod-defense-university-research-instrumentation-program-durip/

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